Can’t use Sky + or Sky HD recording?

Do you live in a block of flats or dwellings that isn’t fully compatible with Freesat+, Sky+ (Sky plus) or Sky HD? You may manage a building where tenants cannot record whilst watching another program and are asking for a second satellite feed?

Monday 18 July 2011

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Cable Guys can help with this issue!

If you have a communal satellite system and the building only has a single cable between the tenant and the mutliswitch / dish, then the tenant can only record what they watch. Alternatively they have to leave the Sky box on the right channel whilst they are out or not using the box so that it records the correct channel. This is not the way the digibox was intended to be utilised. All recordable satellite boxes require two individual feeds from the dish or IRS system so that one is used for watching and the other is used for recording.

The problem with upgrading the system to two cables is the cost of fitting the cables internally is usually astronomical and not an option. Likewise with listed or genrally nice buildings, routing the extra cables along the outside is not an option.

Its in these circumstances that other options include the use of stacker destacker kits or single cable router (SCR) devices in order to obtain the two feeds from one cable. This requires there to be a spare output for each resident on the multiswitch / dish. The first stage is the upgrade of the buildings mutliswitches to twice the amount of outlets. This is usually the managements responsibility and therefore is sometimes a stumbling block unless there are enough residents prepared to utilise the new facilities. The cost of a stacker / destacker installation is approximately £150 inc VAT dependant on the length of cable serving the dwelling and the level of the available signal.

For more information on our Sky maintenance services visit our contact section and forward your requirements to us. We’ll do our very best to help you make good decisions about what system is right for you.